Have you seen the meme about folks who hang too many stuff on their fingers for no reason whatsoever? I’m not proud to confess it, but I’m one of those. No matter how big of a purse I’m carrying, I always find my hands full, making it tough to communicate with my phone or smartwatch on the move. And I’m not alone there. Which is why voice controlled assistants and hands-free gestures are so tempting.
With the Apple Watch Series 9, the firm is introducing a new mode of engagement while upgrading another: Double Tap and Raise to Speak (to Siri). It’s also putting out on-device Siri processing, which will enable you query the assistant for your health data and to track your daily metrics. These are enabled by the new S9 system-in-package (SiP) that drives the device, meaning they likely won’t be available to previous devices via watchOS 10.
The Series 9 also contains a new second-generation ultra wideband (UWB) chip like the one in the iPhone 15 series, which allows for an upgraded interface when pinging your linked phone. On the surface, the new Apple Watch appears much like its predecessor, but the new gesture alone may be exciting enough to lure some of you into upgrading this year.
Double Tap
Full disclosure: Due to a series of FedEx issues, I wasn’t able to obtain a different sample of the Apple Watch with Double Tap enabled until just yesterday. That means I’ve only spent approximately a day checking out the new gesture in the real world. To be clear, the feature will not be present on the watches that arrive come September 22, and will be triggered over the air later in October. Apple supplied reviewers extra units with Double Tap activated for our coverage and testing reasons, in addition to the real iPhones that will be going to customers. Not to fear, though, the rest of my review is based on a Series 9 I’ve owned since the Apple event last week. It’s merely the Double Tap sample that I received late. Still, I already have a better idea for when and how it may be beneficial.
When both hands, or at least my watch hand, are busy, Double Tap will obviously not be useful. You’ll need to at least have your thumb and index finger ready to pinch. But while I’m cleaning my flat, doing a side plank, hoisting a single dumbbell or reading a book, the gesture does make my life simpler. with fact, I enjoy it solely for the pleasure of continuing to surf Reddit on my phone with my right hand without having to put the device down to swipe anything away on my left wrist.
The Series 9 is quite effective at identifying when I’ve pinched twice rapidly, but it took me a few attempts to figure out the appropriate pace. You can’t tap too rapidly or too gently, or it won’t register. I detest when corporations tell us we’re doing something incorrectly, but in this situation when we’re learning a new motion completely, I’m inclined to put in the effort.
Apple employs a mix of data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor to identify movement and blood flow changes. This allows the watch recognize the difference between, instance, when you’re touching your middle finger vs your pointer. I was able to activate Double Tap by pretending to snap my thumb and forefinger, and even while striking the side of my digit rather than the pad.
This is also a good moment to stress that Double Tap is significantly distinct from Assistive Touch, which was launched to watchOS in 2021. The latter is an accessibility-minded feature that was already present for years on iOS, and allows users with varying mobility demands to communicate with the respective operating systems. You’ll have to first go into the settings to enable it on the watch, and then you can utilize motions like pinching and clenching to navigate. Clenching twice will enable Assistive Touch,which brings up an outline around objects on the screen. Then, pinching will progress through individual pieces and clenching will behave like tapping on them.
Assistive Touch is more thorough and complex than Double Tap, as it has to assist users access all of watchOS. Meanwhile, the new function is more of a convenience as there’s just one action accessible. It also accomplishes extremely specialized stuff. You’ll first have to make sure the Series 9 is awake. From the home screen, double touching pulls up the Smart Stack, and subsequent pinches scrolls through the widgets on that page. You can modify the default option such that follow-up double taps on the Smart Stack inputs the top card instead.
Everywhere else in watchOS, the Double Tap will trigger the main button. Start or pause a timer, snooze your alarm, play your music or react to messages, for example. Apple’s programmed some of these programs wisely, too. If you’ve used Double Tap to reply to a message, it will bring up the voice typing option so you may narrate your response. That’s a smart addition, because you’re likely unable to use your other hand to tap out a message if you’re currently pinching to react to a notice.
But Double Tap isn’t accessible in every section of watchOS. When I was looking at the Phone app or my Move rings, for example, the gesture didn’t accomplish anything. A minor indicator seemed to demonstrate that it did register; It simply didn’t match the action to anything on the page. I enjoy the small indication bubble, by the way, since it goes a great way in helping me master the motion.
All being said, it feels like Double Tap might not be as radical as it may have sounded from the keynote. But it still is a valuable tool that will likely lessen my need to elevate my wrist and swipe the screen.
A Better Siri
Another way Apple is decreasing my dependency on the Series 9’s display is through voice control. Specifically, Siri queries on the new watches (including the Ultra 2) will be processed on-device. There are quite a few benefits to this — quickness of reaction being the least significant. I evaluated the Series 9 and Series 8 side by side and this year’s watch was just modestly faster at responding to my “Hey Siri” inquiries.
Other advantages of on-device processing are more profound. The ability to still ask Siri for help when offline or away from my iPhone, for example, was a fairly straightforward addition. I left my linked iPhone 15 Pro at home when I went to the gym, and was relieved when I could still instruct the assistant to record an outside stroll when I made my way home (because my hands were busy, as usual).
Since your inquiries no longer leave your watch, Apple is now able to let you ask Siri for your health statistics. You may ask the assistant how long you slept, how many steps you’ve completed that day, or to register a period and more. Some of this is accessible now, while others will be available via a software update later this year.
Right now, the reactions aren’t terrific. I asked Siri to tell me how many steps I’d done or calories I’d burnt, and instead of giving me a direct response, it’d redirect me to the Move or Exercise ring sites. I inquired for my heart rate, and was sent to the Heart Rate app for a readout, which is fair. But perhaps, with the software upgrade, I’d get a plain response of how many steps or calories.
Read Also: Apple Vision Pro Review: Beta Testing The Future
Uwb Accuracy Finding, In Usage And Battery Life
One additional hardware-related change on the Series 9 is its second-generation UWB chip, which provides a new interface for locating your associated iPhone. Currently, all you can do is use your Apple Watch to ping your handset and have it ring. With the Series 9 attached to another device with the new UWB chip, not only can you can see precisely how many feet you are from your missing gadget, you can also see what direction it’s in.
I nearly panicked after clearing security at the San Francisco airport, when I feared I had misplaced the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Thankfully, I had a flash of insight and used the Series 9 to buzz the phone. I was very glad to hear the ringtone, but also amused when the watch told me I was just a foot and a half away from the handset.
To view the new interface that shows you which direction your lost item is in, you’ll have to be more than five feet away from it. I got home from the gym and utilized the Series 9 to check where the iPhone was, and the onscreen arcs and distance indications effortlessly took me to my sofa where I had left it. As I reached within five feet, the phone buzzed and rang, which assisted in locating it.
I didn’t have a HomePod to test this with, but the Series 9 will also identify when you’re within four meters of one, and instantly open up the Now Playing screen so you can swiftly adjust playback.
Wrap Up
The fact that the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the company’s first carbon neutral devices is a huge achievement that’s worth noting out. We have to give Apple credit for making an attempt to reduce its bad influence on the world, despite all the marketing hyperbole (and the fact that it ironically presented its 2030 goal during a launch event for new gadgets it wants people to buy).
If you’re ecologically minded, the company’s attempts to be net carbon neutral may determine whether you buy the Apple Watch Series 9 over something from a rival like Fitbit, for example. But if that’s not a concern for you, then you’re more likely to base your selection around features like Double Tap and Siri, as well as performance and battery life.
The Series 9 is a strong, well-rounded smartwatch that remains the finest in the category. Double touch and on-device Siri alone may be reasons enough to trade in your previous Apple Watch (yes, even the Series 8), especially if you despise having to swipe or touch a small screen on your wrist.
What interests me more is the picture of the future that’s starting to take form. With gestures like Double Tap and a heavier focus on voice commands, as well as the release of the Vision Pro headset earlier this year, it’s evident Apple has a path in mind for the next few years. I’m intrigued to see where wearables fit in, and I have a strong sense the Series 9 is merely laying the basis for a more immersive, hands-free world to come.